May 5, 2008

Marcus Brown and Carlese Franklin, who are hoping to continue a football playing career in the professional ranks in the coming season, will be taking this week to win one more time for their university.

They'll be part of the McNeese State track and field team competing in the Southland Conference championship meet beginning Friday on the Sam Houston State campus in Huntsville, TX.

Brown, who played four years as a defensive back for the Cowboy football team and recently signed a free agent contract with the Arizona Cardinals, will compete in the long jump.

Franklin, who was an all-conference wide receiver for the Cowboys and who expects to sign a free agent pro contact soon, will throw the javelin.

Both have an excellent opportunity to walk off with gold medals.

"I would think that they have a very good chance," said McNeese track coach Brendon Gilroy. "Carlese is the top ranked javelin thrower in the conference right now and Marcus is third in the long jump."

Brown, a native of Tangipahoa, has won medals in conference competition before. He was second in the long jump last year and has a third place medal from the 2005 season in the same event. He was fourth indoors this past season.

His best this year of 24-5 is only a couple of inches off his career best of 24-7 1/4.

Brown will actually go into the meet as the second ranked long jumper. Brother Darrick is ranked No. 1 but will not participate since he will be at football camp for the Oakland Raiders, the team with which he signed a free agent contract last week.

Quinchun Carey of UT Arlington, who won the title in 2005, will go in with the top mark, that of 24-6 1/2.

"I know that Marcus and Darrick usually feed off each other in the meets," said Gilroy, "so I don't know how Darrick not being there will affect Marcus."

Brown doesn't expect it to. He had thought about skipping the meet and beginning sole concentration on football until a mini-camp he attended last week.

Now, he's being driven by another factor.

Dominque Rodgers-Cromatie of Tennessee State was the No. 1 draft selection by Arizona during last week's draft and he's a track standout as well.

Marcus Brown will be one of the favorites in the long jump this week.

"He told me at last week's mini-camp that he was going to compete for his school in the Ohio Valley Conference meet and that he was going to win," said Brown. "I decided that I should compete too and I hope to win."

For Franklin, a native of Kentwood, it's been two years since he last competed in a conference track and field meet. In 2005 he finished seventh in the event.

"I've been by other coaches in the conference that we're something of an `x' factor in the javelin in conference this season," said Gilroy. "We lost our top two throwers from last year - Chris Hill and John Walledom - but then we had freshmen David Richardson and Ben Chretien come on strong and now just lately, Carlese has taken over."

With a throw of 218-8, Franklin leads all conference competitors. Richardson is second at 216-2 and Chretien is fourth at 203-7.

Richardson, however, may not be able to compete. He been saddled with a shoulder problem ever since the Texas Relays.

A McNeese athlete has won the league's long jump title outdoors only four other times, Stephen Starring, who was also a football standout, in 1983 and Don Troutman in 1958, 1959 and 1960.

Seven other Cowboys have won conference javelin titles but the lastest was also back in the 1980s. Craig Andrus won the crown in 1984 and 1983 while Greg Bullion was the 1982 champion, Dennis Morris won in 1977, Donald Sonnier in 1976, Jim Gonsoulin in 1975, A. J. Seymour in 1969 and Bobby Barnes in 1968.